Hell in a Handbasket Read online

  It’s about time I fix that.

  Holding his gaze, meeting his challenge, I pull his boxers down and release him. His cock springs free, and it takes everything in me not to look down at what he’s packing, but from the times he’s grinded up against me, I know I’m in for a rough—but fun—road ahead.

  Then, slowly, I wrap my fingers around his hardness and watch his lips part in surprise and satisfaction. He doesn’t stop me this time. Instead, his hand slides behind my neck and he kisses me hard. I kiss him back just as ardently, stroking his cock at the same time.

  Our breathing picks up as the urgency rekindles between us. His fingers gather a fistful of hair and wrench my head back, making me gasp as pain spikes through my head. He kisses my exposed neck, and I feel the tip of him pressing against my sex, ready to enter.

  Fuck, he’s big. And I’m so tight and wet from the two orgasms before…

  He tugs my hair again, and I cry out. He uses that moment of surprise to thrust into me, and a delicious mixture of pain and pleasure clashes. It’s indescribable.

  Suddenly, he leans forward, forcing me onto my back again. With his body hovering over me, he seizes my right leg and lifts it to sit on his shoulder. I know I’m flexible, but this is really testing the waters. He pushes closer even more, his face inches from mine, my muscles stretching to their limits. The position tilts my hips up, and when he moves in and out of me again, I whimper as another wave of pain and pleasure washes over me.

  “Shit,” he hisses through gritted teeth. “Aria…”

  I won’t lie. Hearing him say my name in his accent like that sends shivers through my body.

  He begins to pick up the pace. The thrusts turn more forceful, brutish, and soon he’s slamming into me so hard, the desk underneath us trembles and creaks from the force of it.

  For the first time since the incident at the warehouse, I feel Sayah stir inside me. She’s still hiding in the background, hoping not to be noticed, but I sense her there. Curious but cautious. But I can’t think about her right now. Not when I’m finally with Cain the way I’ve craved to be for so long. I won’t let her ruin this.

  When I meet Cain’s gaze again, I notice something about him has changed. His eyes flash from blue to black and back again. Dark lines slither down his face, and his skin appears to shimmer before my eyes. His jaw is tight, the muscles in his shoulders and arms bulge, and his entire body is vibrating. It’s clear something’s wrong. Or he’s still holding something back. Whatever it is, he’s struggling.

  That’s when I realize what’s happening here. He’s trying to keep his demon at bay.

  For me.

  Sayah must have sensed it before me.

  Cain must think his demon will scare me. Maybe he’s afraid what’ll happen if he lets go fully and releases that side of himself. Honestly, I am too, but it’s clear that the restraint is hurting him. He needs to stop holding back.

  I cup the side of his face, and the soft gesture makes him hesitate. It’s one he’s not used to, that’s obvious.

  He searches my face, confused. “Aria, what—” His voice is a deep rumble, another sign that the demon is close to the surface.

  “Do it,” I tell him. “Unleash the demon, Cain. It’s okay. Really.”

  He blinks at me, the color of his eyes still changing rapidly. Then he squeezes them shut and shakes his head. “No. No, I can’t. I won’t.”

  “I told you before, I’m not scared of it. Or you.” It’s a lie, of course. I am afraid of what he’s capable of, but I’m holding onto the sliver of hope that if he really wanted to kill me, he would’ve done it by now.

  “You ran.”

  Two words, but I know what he’s talking about—when I found him draining the soul of the werewolf in the parlor. I had run, it’s true. But if Cain was ever going to open up to me, trust me, even just a little, then he was going to have to let me see him for what he really is. A sin demon and the Crown Prince of Hell.

  I run my thumb along his bottom lip. The urge to kiss him again and show him I’m willing to take the chance is overwhelming. I want him to know I’m not afraid. I want to prove it to myself, too. “We all have a little darkness inside us, right?”

  He dips his chin in a subtle nod.

  “Well, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” Then I hook my hand around his neck and pull his mouth down to mine.

  CAIN

  She kisses like a storm. Electrifying, fiery, and unforgettable. Holding onto me, Aria never relents. She takes what she craves. Here I assumed the girl was innocent to begin with, except I'd been so wrong. A blaze burns inside her, a darkness swirls around her very soul, making her irresistible.

  My tongue glides into her mouth, and I explore her, taste her, own her, unable to get enough. She is mine.

  Her body quivers beneath me, and my cock twitches with building need. Her scent and taste fog my head. My mind usually races, but now, still buried inside her, it calms. My pulse beats through my veins, my demon wanting to unleash itself on her, too. But despite her coaxing, I’m unsure if revealing that side of myself to her again is wise. She may say she’s not frightened, but…

  She moans against my mouth, and my hesitation fades away. It’s so easy to get lost in the feel of her.

  I whisper, "You smell incredible." I inhale deeply against her neck, drowning in her scent of sex and sweat. Her hand splays wide, settled against the hard plane of my chest. My muscles clench, and I lean in and press our foreheads together.

  "Cain," she breathes my name like it gives her oxygen, her eyes swimming in desire. “Show me the real you.”

  Every inch of her is so perfect. From the curve of her lips, to her sweet taste lingering on my tongue, to the burning fire between those gorgeous legs. I could have stayed down there and pleased her until the sun burned out, but there’s so much more of her I crave. So much more I need. Even her persistence is growing on me.

  She is burning up against me, and I lean in, kissing her neck, licking my way along her collarbone. Her nails dig into my arms, and her moans drive my pulse.

  "Please, Cain," she begs, sounding unbearably sexy.

  When I draw back, I can't keep the smile from my mouth. The morsel I desire sits on my desk, her dark hair wild and loose, hanging over her shoulders. I lower my hand to her thigh, and that fully gorgeous mouth parts in response with a gasp. Her perky breasts, each tipped with a deep cherry nipple, are beautiful and tight. Her legs remain spread, her small mount of hair glistening with her arousal. I still taste her honey on my tongue.

  Just the sight of her drives me crazy, and I curse myself for ever resisting.

  She’s waiting for me to take her in my real form, and I never disappoint. Stepping back, I call the change forward, power pricking down my arms and spine. Heat rolls over my skin, surging through me like an inferno, the world gleaming with a pale reddish hue through my vision.

  Aria’s gasp is her only reaction to my black-veined skin and the leathery wings jutting outward from my back, casting a shadow over her. In my real form, I’m stronger. Prouder. And after walking around this plane for so long in a human skin, it’s refreshing to not have to hide my true self.

  Her mouth parts and she reaches over. “May I… touch them?”

  “Yes.” I curl a wing forward, and she runs her fingers over the thin membrane stretched between two bones, each tipped with a sharp talon.

  Her touch is feathery soft, sending a buzz right through me.

  “They’re magnificent,” she says.

  “Are you still sure about this?” I step close and take her chin in my hand, forcing her to face me. She doesn’t flinch at my appearance, but rather pulls her lower lip between her teeth, tugging at the flesh, staring at me like temptation itself. In demon form, the call of whatever darkness hides inside her is stronger. I can feel it buzzing through our touch. “There’ll be no going back.”

  She nods, but a sliver of trepidation swims deep in her eyes. She gets turned on by playi
ng with danger, I see that now. If that is what she wants, I will indulge her curiosity and satisfy my craving at the same time.

  I lower my hand and wrap my fingers around her wrist. "On your feet."

  She responds with wide eyes, and it doesn't take her long to slide off my desk. I draw her to me, our chests pressed together, my arms around her waist, my wings curling forward. Her gaze takes them in as a corner of her mouth quirks into a grin. The way she admires me in this form… it only adds fuel to my already raging fire.

  I slide a hand down her back, over her sweet ass and under, then lift her off her feet as she quickly grabs my shoulders. Her legs instantly coil around my waist.

  A blush of pink sweeps over her cheeks, and my arousal spikes, so I let it take the lead. I walk her over to the window of my office, pressing her back to the cold glass, grasping her ass. She arches from the chilled touch of the window, glancing over her shoulder at the woods behind her. She is exposed to anyone out there, but when she glances back, her confidence returns.

  "No going back?" she says with a smile.

  I half laugh, admiring her passion, her forwardness. Her hands grip my shoulders harder, and I claim her lips, taking her as the devil she desires.

  Holding her close, her tight little body presses against me, her tongue twirling with mine. She’s so small, and my damn dick aches for release. Heat burns at the core between her legs, and she adjusts to tilt her pelvis to accept me again. We groan together.

  Without ceremony, I drive into her, take what is mine, and her small gasp of surprise has her pussy walls clenching around me. I hiss through my lips, the ache devious and intoxicating.

  “You wanted the monster,” I whisper against her mouth, unable to deny the irresistible urge to fuck her senseless. I want to draw every kind of reaction out of her. “Here I am.”

  The talons on my wings embed into the wall above us, allowing me more leverage to increase the speed and power behind my thrusts. Crying out, she clings to me, her breaths quickening. The window at her back rattles in the frame, the wood creaking and groaning, and I wonder if we’ll break it. Part of me hopes we do.

  Her fingers wrap around my wrist suddenly and guide my hand up toward her face. It takes me a moment to realize what she wants, but when she lifts her chin, I grasp her by the throat and squeeze. Her eyes roll back in ecstasy.

  Looks like someone likes being handled roughly. Something I have no problem obliging.

  A growl rumbles through my chest. She is perfect in every single way, from the desire clouding her gaze, to the small moans rolling through her throat, right down to her fingers digging into my arms. Mesmerizing, stunning. I’m caught in the web of her addictive smell, her luscious body, and all the things I intend to do to her.

  One hand holds onto her ass as I drive myself deeper, stretching her, and she purrs, her head thrown back. I doubt I could hold back if I tried, so I thrust into her, pushing in and pulling out, so that nothing is separating us. Ever since her first visit to Purgatory, she’s been a drug on my mind, distracting my every thought. What we have is primal and raw, and at this moment, I’d die before letting her go.

  My power flares over me in waves, shaking me. This right here, her moaning for more, me plunging into her tightness, is what I’ve been looking for. I’ve been missing it for years. I can’t explain it, this effect she has on me. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

  Electricity flows from her body to mine and back again, tangling us together. There’s so much more to Aria than I think any of us realize.

  “You’ll be the end of me,” I growl, sinking into her over and over. Gently, I lean closer and kiss her lips, unable to get enough of her taste.

  Her whole body shudders with each thrust. Her cries are a siren of song to my ears, but that’s when movement beyond the window catches my attention.

  It’s Elias. I see him standing near the edge of the woods. Shadows gather under his eyes as he glares at us, his mouth twisted in a snarl. Seeing him there watching us makes something primal surge through me. A hunger, a possessiveness. After I mistakenly allowed Dorian to get to Aria first, I want Elias to know where we stand. She’s my claim.

  Locking eyes with him, I ram into Aria harder and faster, my intentions clear. Hissing my exhale, I can’t stop. Fury flashes in his eyes, and seconds later, he drops to all fours, shifting into his hellhound form, and rushes into the forest. Gone.

  It’s better this way.

  Aria squirms, screaming, and suddenly pulses against me with the most incredible climax. Her fingers grip the wrist of the hand that’s still wrapped around her throat, and her nails bite in. Her gaze meets mine, a silent challenge hovering there. She wants more.

  Astounding.

  Our energy clashes suddenly, fast and powerful, and I groan as my cock jerks inside her, pulsing into her.

  Power nips across my nape, and in that heightened moment when we both come, a shadow emerges from the window, growing and stretching from a thin black cord. As if it’s alive, it crawls along the wall to where my shadow is cast. Aria’s skin glows in a reddish orangey hue, almost sparkling.

  The shadow creature!

  I’m curious and fascinated, but mostly concerned after what happened in the warehouse. Aria’s eyes shoot open in horror at the sight before us.

  The instant the shadow mingles with mine, an exhilarating shudder collides into me. Pleasure consumes me, as if every sensation has been amplified tenfold. As if striking her too, Aria cries out, drowning in the same magic of desire that’s engulfing me.

  I don’t know what’s happened, but our dark essences whirl around each other in some kind of erotic dance, and we’re both left trembling against each other and struggling for breath. It’s the most intense feeling I’ve ever experienced.

  We both ride the waves of pleasure until my vision blurs. Aria moans, and we rock together. I’m still buried in her, and the way she squeezes me has me groaning. I don’t care about the shadows, not when I’m lost to this woman in my arms. We are one.

  I don’t know how long we are caught in this perfect moment, but when we finally float down from the high and recover, Aria is panting, sweat dotting her brow. At the same time, we look over to the wall and find her shadow is gone. Only mine remains.

  Her breaths are heavy and raspy. Her smile, when she glances back at me, is bewitching. “I didn’t expect that,” she murmurs.

  “The earth-shattering orgasm or your shadow joining in on the act?” I ask, still holding her close, not entirely ready for this to end.

  Something dark sweeps over her gaze then, and her thoughts seem miles away. Finally, she answers, “She shouldn’t be able to do that.”

  Carefully, I lift her off me and place her on her feet. I tangle my hands in her hair and bring her attention back to me. I hate to see her worried and afraid like this. “We’re going to figure all this out,” I tell her. “I swear it.”

  Chapter Ten

  Aria

  With so much chaos going on in my life, I’ve been eager to get back to work and retain some shred of normalcy. Who would have thought that working in a supernatural club with half-naked dancers on the stage would be my sense of normal? Ha!

  Even stranger than that, these last three days I’ve woken up without Elias in my bed. I shouldn’t complain really, but a small part of me misses him. Not so much his bearish snores, but our morning routine of bickering back and forth is something I’ve gotten quite used to. Talk about messed up. I would never admit to missing him out loud, though. It’d go straight to his head.

  Cain insists that Elias has gone hunting in the woods and it’s normal for him to vanish for days at a time, so I shouldn’t be bothered by it or expect him back any time soon. But I’m not sure what to make of his sudden disappearance. It seems odd to me.

  Besides that, I have been attempting to train Cassiel to use the new litter box I convinced Dorian to buy. The box is located in my bathroom, and surprisingly, so far there haven
’t been any mishaps. I guess all cats, no matter how wild or domestic, have the same core instincts. Not to mention, it’s nice to have little snuggle breaks with so much shit going on.

  “Aria!” Antonio bellows, and I flinch in surprise, glancing to the top of the stairs, where he’s looking down at me. “Are you growing the pineapples down there, sweetheart? Pronto!” He clicks his fingers at me, and I jump instantly toward the shelf of canned goods, bottles of various drinks, and stacks of glasses.

  I guess my break is over. I snatch a can of sliced pineapples and dart upstairs, the upbeat tune in the bar picking up in volume as I go. As usual, Purgatory is bustling with customers. Every seat and standing spot is taken. There never seems to be a down moment here.

  I hand over the goods to Antonio, whose lips are pinched with distress.

  “Sweetheart, I need the big can. With the group of Hawaiian fire dancers who’ve just ordered ten Pineapple Whiskey Sours, there’ll be more.” He waves at me with an impatient flick of his hand while turning to the fox shifter working in the bar with him. “Sting, don't you dare use that room-temperature mixer for the chilled cocktail.”

  Antonio presses the can back into my hand and darts toward Sting.

  I groan under my breath but am also curious about who the fire dancers are because my first thought goes to dragons. And I’ve had enough encounters with those to last an eternity.

  I rush back downstairs, silently thanking Charlotte for her tip of wearing flats on breaks and in between rushes. Once I dump the small can, I wrap my arms around the oversized one. The fucker is heavy! I struggle to lug it up to the bar and slide it on the counter near the sink.

  “You’re a godsend,” Antonio says. His usual slicked-back hair lays in disarray around his face, and even his eye patch is slightly twisted. “Now go and collect orders, sweetheart.” I grab my small notebook and pen from the pocket of my skin-tight leather pants as he barks orders at Sting to open the can.